German Newspapers

Waterloo Region During The First World War

The Berliner Journal was a German newspaper published in Berlin, Ontario between 1859 and 1918. As there was at that time, and still is, a large community of German speaking immigrants in the Waterloo region, investigating the German perspective is an essential step towards gaining a full understanding of the regional perception of the War. 70% of the population of Kitchener in 1911 was of German origin. Therefore, the German culture and heritage played a vital role in the overall social, political and economic structure of the region. The role of the German newspapers was to preserve the region’s cultural heritage and language as well as to help immigrants adapt to their new lives in Canada.

The Berliner Journal was the biggest German newspaper in the Waterloo region and was founded by the German immigrants Friedrich Rittinger and John Motz in 1859.

The outbreak of the First World War posed as a serious challenge for the Berliner Journal due to the growing anti-German sentiments it inspired. Rittinger and Motz approached the situation as mediators. By encouraging the German-Canadians to stay neutral and by including various perspectives in their reports, they hoped to protect the German community from unnecessary persecution. Nevertheless, the paper’s circulation decreased during the war due to the difficult circumstances. In October 1918, the federal government finally banned all German newspapers in Canada, and as a result, the editors of the Berliner Journal decided to end production.

In June 1914, on the night before Victoria Day, someone stole the German flag hanging in Berlin near Queen Victoria’s statue. Since a flag represents the pride of the inhabitants and reminds them of their home country, the journalists at the Berliner Journal were upset by this crime and emphasized their hopes that the police would catch the thief. This type of anti-German vandalism was becoming a trend in the area and was followed up by another incident on August 26 when the bust of Kaiser Wilhelm on display in Victoria Park was demolished and thrown into the park’s lake. The German press again reported the shock felt by both the German-Canadian and much of the English population over the actions of these vandals.

This appeal, published in the Berliner Journal in mid-June, was intended to encourage the German citizens in the Waterloo Region to vote for the upcoming provincial elections. The authors emphasized that the German population would be big enough to influence the elections if everyone exercised their right to vote. The paper begged the people to think carefully and seriously about the candidates and the future of the region and to choose wisely the candidate they thought might be the best for all. The authors were discouraged over the general political apathy among German-Canadians, and argued that they must overcome their lack of attention to political issues. The author self-identified as a Canadian and was proud of being a citizen in this country. Every man who will not fight for his freedom, the author continued, and who would let the politicians restrict his liberty is not worthy of being a citizen in this “beautiful rich country.” The article concluded that it is an “act of self-defense” to vote the right man into the government.

In June of 1914, the journalist Hans von Kaltenborn was sent to Berlin for four weeks where he reported on Germany’s guns, munitions, and overall readiness for war. He told his readers that there would be continuous armament and that even the smallest details of waging war were being considered, and by doing so, he reinforced the popular belief that no country in the world had ever armed itself so strongly and energetically for a war. But von Kaltenborn also emphasized that in contradiction to that visible war preparation, Kaiser Wilhelm would be the man most determined to keep peace between the nations.

It is estimated that, at the outbreak of war in 1914, the German standing army consisted of 880,000 men, and for generations, “Prussia’s best and brightest” had been entering the military. This trend had continued after the unification of Germany. “Well-trained and led, especially at the junior officer level, the German Army was ready to the smallest detail. It had more artillery per corps than any other army and was the best supplied army in technical equipment […] Germany also had the world’s second largest navy, the result of the Kaiser’s decision to build a powerful battle fleet.” (Tucker, Spencer C. The Great War 1914-18. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana UP, 1998. Print. P. 17)

When the discussion over prohibition was being revisited in Ontario in mid-1914, the Berliner Journal tried to give an objective view, but clearly the paper was against it. The Catholic Church in general was against it, because the Bible did not ban it, but rather gave the advice of moderation. Furthermore, the liturgy required “wine with alcohol”. The article stated that German Protestants and Lutherans were also against prohibition. They too argued that moderation was a virtue, whereas abstinence was just self-sacrifice.

These articles then mentioned a report prepared about prohibition in Canada, which showed that it had not been a successful policy. The money spent on alcohol had actually increased and instead of beer, people tended to drink homemade whiskey instead. In Great Britain, there was less consumption of alcohol without prohibition. A Canadian bishop said that it would be a restriction of the personal liberty to force him into this situation. A human being could not become a better person because of restrictions.

Even in Germany the issue received press coverage. In a speech from Kaiser Wilhelm to soldiers of the marine, he asked them to be abstinent because then they would be stronger and win battles. He thought that encouraging an ideal was more useful than legislation to get rid of alcohol. Drinking was a hereditary defect of the Germans according to the emperor, and not worth trying to stamp out.

A short notice without further explanation in the Berliner Journal stated, before the war had even started: “The Canadian government wanted to deport all immigrants who were a burden to the public.” Later that year, the government published a proclamation which explained that only German immigrants who were involved in espionage or any other suspicious behavior would have to face consequences.

On July 8, the Berliner Journal reported that the meeting of the Deutscher Schulverein (“German School Association“) was poorly attended. The association wanted to uphold the German heritage and language as well as promote teaching German in local schools. Therefore, the Berliner Journal invited its readership to become members. The other German clubs of Berlin, “Concordia” and “Deutsche Eiche” had about 400 members altogether.

After the assassination of Austria’s heir to the throne and his wife, the Berliner Journal described the events and stated that the news “shocked the senile Kaiser Franz Joseph terribly”. Furthermore it was reported that Kaiser Wilhelm was sad about the death of his “friend”, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and “deeply worried” about the tragedy and the ensuing situation. Therefore he had talked to the Austro-Hungarian ambassador about the possible consequences of anti-Servian outbursts.

On July 29, the Berliner Journal reported that Servia had refused to fulfill the demands of Austria-Hungary and instead started mobilizing for war. The newspaper stated that non-Slavic countries in the Dual Monarchy were glad that the “day of reckoning” with Servia had “finally arrived”. Furthermore it reported that people in Berlin and Vienna were enthusiastic about the upcoming war.

In the years leading up to the war, Canadian immigration was at an all-time high. Many of these immigrants came directly from Germany and arrived with different political and nationalistic ideals. This article was written by a German immigrant and addressed other recent German immigrants who held socialist views and were opponents of the German emperor. The writer admitted that socialist ideas could be useful, but argued that it did not mean that one cannot love his homeland and worship Kaiser Wilhelm. He claimed that Germany was the best ruled country in the world under the emperor’s constitutional monarchy. The author dismissed the complaint of the socialists that Germany was wasting money on a massive army and navy. Peace in the world was a nice ideal, the article continued, but was not possible at this time. The writer claimed that Kaiser Wilhelm had led Germany to its leading position in the civilized world and that the disarmament of the German army would lead to unemployment.

This strong defence of German militarism is interesting coming just after the declaration of war. In the future, the Berliner Journal would be forced to choose the words it spoke about Germany and the Kaiser much more carefully.